A method of detecting fluorescence from bacteria suitable for determining the presence of faeces or other fluorophores, the method comprising the steps of: illuminating a target with fluorescence excitation light having an excitation wavelength and monitoring for the emission of fluorescence light from the target at wavelengths longer than the excitation wavelength.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method of determining the presence of human faeces using fluorescence from bacteria prevalent in human faeces, the method comprising: illuminating a target with excitation light having an excitation wavelength in a range of 500 nm to 645 nm; and monitoring for emission of fluorescence light from the target having an emission peak in a range of 675 nm to 735 nm.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target is illuminated with a source light guide, wherein the source light guide comprises a plurality of leaky portions along a longitudinal direction of the source light guide.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the excitation wavelength of the excitation light has a central wavelength of substantially 635 nm.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the excitation wavelength comprises a plurality of wavelengths corresponding to one or more porphyrin Q-bands.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the target is a container for receiving bodily fluids or bodily excrement.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the container is an incontinence pad, diaper or nappy, or a container for receiving a sample of bodily fluid or bodily excrement in vitro.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising modulating intensity or frequency of the excitation light.
8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: detecting a corresponding modulation in light emitted by the target; and filtering out the emitted light without the modulation.
9. The method of claim 7, further comprising: detecting a fluorescence lifetime associated with sample fluorescence using a time-resolved or phase-resolved detection approach.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: providing a light source; and coupling light output from the light source into a light guide; and wherein the target is illuminated by light emitted from the light guide, and wherein the light guide comprises an optical fibre.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the monitoring for the emission of the fluorescence light comprises monitoring for light emitted from the target into the light guide.
12. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing the light source and/or a detector in an incontinence pad, diaper or nappy.
13. The method of claim 1, further comprising: measuring the emission of the fluorescence light; and comparing the emission of the fluorescence light to a threshold value.
14. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a wavelength spectrum of the fluorescence light.
15. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a fluorescence lifetime of the fluorescence light.
16. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a signal to notify a user of the presence of bacteria.
17. A detection system arranged to determine the presence of human faeces using fluorescence from bacteria prevalent in human faeces, comprising: a light source configured to emit light in a range of 500 nm to 645 nm; a source optical fibre, wherein the source optical fibre is optically coupled to the light source; a receiver optical fibre; a detector configured to detect light in a range of 675 nm to 735 nm, wherein the detector is optically coupled to the receiver optical fibre; and a signal processing unit configured to determine a positive identification of human faeces based on electronic signals, which indicate that the light, detected by the detector, has an emission peak in a range of 675 nm to 735 nm.
18. The detection system according to claim 17, wherein the source optical fibre and the receiver optical fibre are the same optical fibre, or are different optical fibres.
19. The detection system according to claim 17, wherein the source optical fibre comprises a fibre-optic cable including a core and a cladding, wherein the cladding comprises a plurality of discontinuous portions providing an optical path for light to be coupled into or out of the source optical fibre.
20. The detection system according to claim 19, wherein the discontinuous portions are arranged in a non-linear pattern in which adjacent gaps are positioned increasingly far apart from one another to maintain a constant degree of light leakage along the fibre-optic cable.
21. The detection system according to claim 17, wherein the source optical fibre and the receiver optical fibre are the same optical fibre, and wherein the optical fibre is coupled to the detector and to the light source, and wherein the detector and light source are coupled to the optical fibre at the same end of the optical fibre or at opposite ends of the optical fibre.
22. The detection system according to claim 17, further comprising a pad, wherein the source optical fibre and/or the receiver optical fibre are attached to the pad or integrally formed with the pad.
23. The detection system according to claim 17, further comprising a communication module for sending data to one or more external devices and/or receiving data from the one or more external devices.
24. The detection system according to claim 17, further comprising an alarm, wherein the alarm is one of an optical alarm, an acoustic alarm or a tactile alarm.
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July 6, 2020
January 14, 2025
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